Chapter 5

Isla’s POV

I stood alone under the moonlight, staring at the small wooden box resting in my hands.

Kael was already gone, never waiting for my thanks or looking back after quietly placing the gift box in my hands.

For a long moment, I wondered if he'd made a mistake and the gift wasn't meant for me, but as I slowly lifted the lid, my breath caught.

Inside rested a delicate necklace crafted from white gold, its chain lined with tiny diamonds that shimmered beneath the moonlight.

The pendant was a wolf.

Its eyes were set with two small blue sapphires, making the elegant piece undeniably beautiful and far too expensive.

It was, without question, the most valuable gift anyone had given me since my parents passed away.

With trembling fingers, I turned the pendant over.

Something was engraved on the back.

Isla.

My name.

It really was for me. A weak smile found its way onto my lips.

"Kael..."

Out of everyone in the palace who claimed to be my family, my husband's younger brother had been the only one who remembered my birthday, and I couldn't understand why.

Before I could think any further, a hand suddenly snatched the necklace from my fingers.

"What-?"

I spun around.

Rowena stood only a few steps away, clutching the necklace tightly in her hand.

Her eyes widened dramatically, then her face twisted with outrage.

"How dare you!"

She held up the pendant with trembling hands.

"How dare you steal from me?"

I stared at her, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Excuse me?"

"My necklace!"

She clutched it tightly against her chest.

"I've been looking everywhere for it!"

A humorless laugh escaped my lips.

"I didn't steal anything from you."

I held out my hand.

"Give it back."

Instead of returning it, she took another step away.

"So shameless. You stole it, and now you're demanding I return it?"

My shock slowly gave way to anger.

"If there's a thief standing here..."

I met her eyes without flinching.

"...we both know it isn't me."

For the first time since arriving at Blackthorn Palace, I saw something ugly flash across Rowena's face.

She wasn't pretending anymore; this time, she was angry.

She looked down at the necklace before letting out a mocking laugh.

"A custom-made piece. White gold. Diamonds."

She looked me up and down with open contempt.

"Tell me, Luna… How could someone like you possibly afford something this expensive?"

She lifted the pendant higher.

"This necklace is worth more than your life."

I looked at her quietly, thinking that if Father were still alive, he would have laughed because everything in this palace, even the ground beneath Rowena's feet, had once belonged to House Nightfang.

The Blackthorn family ruled today only because, after my parents died, the Elders forced me to choose a mate, and I chose Damon, believing he was the one the Moon Goddess had destined for me.

But I didn't tell her any of that.

There was no point.

I simply held out my hand again.

"Give it back, Rowena."

"No."

Her smile widened.

"I think it looks much better on me."

Something inside me finally snapped.

She had already taken my husband, my place beside him, my anniversary, and even my birthday, but I refused to let her take the only gift I had received today, so I stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

"Let go."

She struggled immediately.

"Don't touch me!"

I tightened my grip and pulled the necklace free, and as Rowena stared at her empty hand, her expression suddenly changed. Then…

She screamed.

A loud, piercing scream echoed through the palace gardens.

"Help! Luna Isla attacked me!"

Within seconds, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor as Damon arrived first, followed by Harold, Meredith, and several servants, and the moment Rowena saw him, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.

"D-Damon..."

She clung to him, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Luna Isla… She stole my necklace. My parents gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday. Please, it's mine..." She sobbed.

"Believe me..."

Without hesitation, Damon wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh..."

His voice was gentle.

"I believe you."

Something inside me broke as Damon never asked a single question or even looked at the necklace before deciding I was guilty, then his cold, emotionless eyes found mine and he strode toward me.

"Give it to her."

I tightened my grip around the pendant.

"No."

His expression darkened.

"I said… Give it back."

"It's mine."

Before I could react, Damon fisted my hair with enough force to make even my wolf cry out in pain, and a gasp escaped my lips.

"Damon..."

He yanked harder.

"I won't repeat myself, woman. Hand it over..."

His voice dropped into a dangerous growl.

"...or I'll break your neck."

My eyes burned with tears, but after everything Damon had already done to break my heart, I simply tightened my grip around the necklace.

"No."

The word came out as barely a whisper.

"No. This belongs to me. Break your own Luna's neck if you want, but I won't hand over what's mine."

Damon's grip tightened, but before he could move again, another hand shot forward and clamped around his wrist.

"Let go."

The voice was calm, but commanding.

Kael.

The entire palace fell silent as Damon glared at his younger brother.

"Don't meddle in my family affairs, brother."

Kael said nothing, only tightening his hold on Damon's wrist as his silver eyes locked with his brother's, their silent challenge hanging heavily between them.

Finally, Damon released my hair, and I stumbled back, clutching the necklace to my chest as Rowena quickly pointed at me again.

"P-Please, Sir Kael… She took my necklace. She's a thief. She should be punished."

Kael finally looked at me and silently held out his hand, and understanding what he meant, I reluctantly placed the necklace in his palm.

"I..."

My voice trembled.

"I didn't want to let go of it."

He gave the pendant a brief glance before turning toward Rowena.

His expression remained unreadable.

"Is your name Isla?"

Rowena frowned.

"W-What?"

Kael turned the pendant over so everyone could see.

"It says 'Isla.'"

Silence.

Rowena's face lost its color.

"Y-You're mistaken."

Damon frowned.

"Kael… I think you're confused."

A faint smirk tugged at Kael's lips.

"I don't think so."

He lifted his gaze to meet Damon's.

"I think I'd recognize my own gift, Alpha."

The courtyard fell completely silent.

Damon stared at him.

"Your gift?"

Kael walked past him, stopped in front of me, and silently fastened the necklace around my neck before turning back to face Damon.

"It's your Luna's birthday, Alpha."

His voice was steady and dangerously calm.

"So I bought her a gift."

Damon's brows knitted together.

"You bought my wife a necklace worth a fortune?"

Kael didn't look away; instead, he asked quietly,

"And you?"

A heavy silence settled over the courtyard as Kael kept his eyes fixed on his older brother.

"What did you give her?"